Annexes to COM(2013)279 - Action Plan for a Maritime Strategy in the Atlantic area Delivering smart, sustainable and inclusive growth - Main contents
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| dossier | COM(2013)279 - Action Plan for a Maritime Strategy in the Atlantic area Delivering smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2013)279  |
| date | May 13, 2013 |
– The 2014-2020 Partnership Agreements for the ESIF are an important funding channel that Member States can use, where appropriate, to implement the priorities of the Action Plan. Partnership Agreements should take into account relevant sea-basin strategies, such as the Atlantic Strategy, when identifying priority areas for cooperation. They provide an opportunity to identify the main development needs and development potential of the blue economy in the Atlantic Member States and their coastal regions. They also allow Member States to put in place arrangements that will ensure coordination between ESIF and other funding sources. National authorities in Member States responsible for the negotiation of Partnership Agreements and the authorities responsible for drawing up operational programmes therefore have an important role to play in in the implementation process of the Action Plan over the coming months. The Action Plan can also be a source of inspiration to those drawing up operational programmes at national and regional level, subject to the needs of the programme area.
– Furthermore, the Action Plan will serve to guide the Commission itself in implementing directly managed funds, including Horizon 2020, LIFE+, COSME and the directly managed elements of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. Indeed, Horizon 2020 will be a key support to the implementation of the Action Plan and is already considering "blue growth" as one of its focus areas for research in the coming years. It can support the blue growth agenda to explore and maximise the potential of the diversity of marine life, to harvest deep-sea resources in a sustainable way and develop new ocean observation technologies. This will help boost the marine and maritime economy and the marine environment by accelerating the transfer of research and innovation into the economy.
– Well-targeted public investment can and should trigger private investment and business initiatives. Member States may also wish to approach the private sector in order to explore complementary involvement and finance.
– In addition, the European Investment Bank Group (EIB Group[8]) stands ready to mobilise its financing tools and expertise in support of suitable projects in order to further the Action Plan's priorities. The EIB can extend support to both public and private sector activities in the form of lending, blending[9] and technical advice. It offers a variety of financing instruments, ranging from investment loans for both direct and indirect financing to equity funds via the EIF, in order to support activities across a range of sizes.
In the context of budgetary restraint and the need for authorities in the Atlantic area to consider a range of development priorities it should be stressed that the process of implementing the Action Plan remains voluntary, but should be in line with the implementing priorities set out in the Partnership Agreements of the five Member States concerned. All projects that are submitted to relevant authorities in response to the Action Plan will need to comply with the criteria established in relevant funding regulations. Under the shared management of EU funds, the decision on whether or not to take up a specific project will be taken by the competent managing authority.
3.2. Intelligent collaboration
The Action Plan identifies opportunities for Member States, regional and local authorities and EU institutions to work together where necessary to meet the challenge of sustainable growth. But such collective work is not, of course, the only way in which the Action Plan can be implemented. Specific actions and projects at national, regional and local level can also play an important part in delivering on the Action Plan. Where appropriate, cooperation between different country-specific programmes should be fostered.
Working together in a targeted way can bring a range of additional benefits, not least in sharing information, sharing costs, sharing results and sharing best practice, as well as generating ideas for further areas of collaboration. More specifically, Member States and regions can work with the support of different funding sources to develop joint projects or other approaches.
The Horizon 2020 programme and other EU programmes and funding instruments can support cooperation in research by facilitating projects proposed by consortia of public and private institutions. For example, these projects can test different solutions to common problems or compare the performance of different technologies. France, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom are already participating in a number of joint projects, research networks, technology platforms, and a joint programming initiative on Healthy Seas and Oceans. These mechanisms offer a way for Member States to work together in ways that can be reinforced by Horizon 2020. Establishing an intra-European coordination and cooperation could also be the foundation of enhanced transatlantic research cooperation.
Joint projects and actions are not restricted to research. European Territorial Cooperation (for example through the Atlantic Area Programme), which will be funded through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), provides a mechanism for neighbouring regions and cities from different EU Member States to work together and learn from each other through projects that explore options to cooperate on common challenges. The Erasmus for All programme will provide opportunities for partnerships in education and training
Working together can also involve collaborative actions to exchange information and good practice. Initiatives such as Copernicus[10], or "Marine Knowledge 2020"[11] can provide a framework. For instance, understanding how neighbouring countries or regions with similar oceanographic or meteorological conditions tackle coastal erosion can help drive operational efficiency. Knowing what has worked and what has not worked elsewhere can prevent the same mistakes being made twice. Good practice can be exchanged through dedicated workshops, staff exchanges or internet fora.
3.3. Support
In order to implement the Action Plan successfully at national and regional level, an appropriate implementation mechanism would enhance the engagement of national, regional and local actors and enable progress to be monitored. The Atlantic Forum has provided useful lessons in organising dialogue and coordination. To move forward with implementation, it will be important to continue that dialogue with Member States and regions, including the private sector. Implementing the Action Plan will not only depend on the public sector, it will also depend on the extent to which the private sector becomes involved.
Any implementation mechanism should be light, tightly-focused and draw on good practices that have been successful in other sea-basin strategies by:
– providing political commitment and oversight;
– raising awareness of the Action Plan and its objectives;
– promoting private sector buy-in;
– providing an evaluation and assessment of progress.
It could also:
– give guidance to stakeholders and potential project promoters;
– enable cooperation across the Atlantic area;
– liaise with managing authorities of EU funding programmes;
– bring together possible project partners to develop activities that would respond to the priorities set out in the Action Plan;
– identify potential funding sources for projects at both EU and national level.
The implementation mechanism for the Action Plan should be defined in consultation with Member States and stakeholders before the end of 2013. In order to encourage further networking and exchanges of best practice in project development and implementation, the Commission may organise Atlantic stakeholder conferences.
4. taking stock of progress
In order to maintain momentum over the period 2014-2020, it will be important to understand how the implementation of the Action Plan is contributing to achieving the EU's wider jobs, growth and sustainability objectives. We will want to understand, for example, whether we have been able to deliver a truly predictive capacity for the major risks and changes to the dynamics of the North Atlantic's circulation system; the extent to which critical areas of the Atlantic seafloor have been mapped; whether the Action Plan has supported the development of a range of new and innovative products and services; and improved the operational and risk management environment for offshore industries. We will also want to understand the extent to which socially inclusive growth has been achieved, skills needs have been addressed and whether an ecosystem based management approach in the Atlantic area has been implemented. We will also want to be able to draw lessons that can be applied to other sea basins.
Monitoring progress should not create any new reporting requirements. Instead, existing baseline information would be used in order to build a picture of how the Atlantic area is changing as a result of implementation of the Action Plan, and other factors. The Commission will begin work rapidly with the five Atlantic Member States to define and agree a methodology for preparing this stocktaking.
As innovation and technology progress, the Action Plan may need to be adapted and further developed. The Commission will closely monitor the implementation of the Action Plan, draw lessons learned and assess progress made. It will prepare a mid-term review of the implementation of the Action Plan before the end of 2017. An independent evaluation of a sample of completed projects will feed into the review, which will be discussed with Member States and other stakeholders.
5. Internationalisation of the Atlantic Strategy
The Atlantic Ocean is not confined to Europe. It is a shared resource and unified system linking the continent of Europe with Africa and America. All coastal states have a common interest and responsibility for ensuring good ocean governance, including through UNCLOS[12], the IMO[13] and the International Seabed Authority.
The economic value of the Atlantic Ocean is enormous for the countries located on its shores. The Commission believes that over time, the Action Plan could create a solid foundation for cooperation with other Atlantic nations. The potential for joint work, for example in oceanographic research and observation, is clear. There is already the prospect of real engagement from the US and Canada to establish a transatlantic research alliance, to deepen our common understanding of the Atlantic ecosystem and its potential to support the blue economy. Developing this transatlantic research alliance would take place step by step, following a stock-taking exercise and agreeing on the most promising areas for cooperation. It is possible that other Atlantic nations would also be willing to discuss engagement on either research or other issues. The Commission and Member States should jointly consider what steps can be taken to engage international partners in the phased development of the Atlantic Strategy.
6. Conclusion
The Commission invites the European Parliament and the Council to endorse the Action Plan and the orientation set out in this Communication.
[1] France, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.
[2] COM 782/2011 of 21 November 2011.
[3] The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Funds (ESF), the European Agricultural and Rural Development Fund (EARDF) and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).
[4] a number of recommendations on this issue were delivered to the Commission on 9 June 2011 by The Task Force on Maritime Employment and Competitiveness..
[5] Existing initiatives include the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre - Narcotics (MAOC-N) and the European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR) coordinated by the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the EU (Frontex).
[6] As set out in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC)
[7] following as appropriate the principles of the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage;
[8] European Investment Bank (EIB) and European Investment Fund (EIF)
[9] Blending: EIB loan finance to complement grant support from either EU or other public sources
[10] Copernicus, formerly Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (or GMES) is a European satellite system for monitoring the Earth (http://copernicus.eu)
[11] Marine Knowledge 2020 is an EU project bringing together marine data from different sources with the aim of helping industry, public authorities and researchers find the data and make more effective use of them to develop new products and services as well as improving our understanding of how the seas behave (http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/policy/marine_knowledge_2020/index_en.htm)
[12] The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
[13] The International Maritime Organisation